1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a guide device for smoothly guiding, toward a discharge port, a slide fastener chain to which a plurality of pieces of cloth (cut into a predetermined shape for a clothing, a bed cover, a bed sheet, a bag, etc.) are sewn longitudinally along opposite fastener tapes.
2. Description of the Related Art:
As shown in FIG. 2(A) of the accompanying drawings, in an apparatus for producing slide fasteners attached to pieces of cloth, a chain FC travels toward a discharge port 5. A number of pieces of cloth cut into a predetermined shape are fed to a discharge port 5, and are sewn successively to a slide fastener chain (hereinafter also called "chain") 1 along opposite fastener tapes by a sewing machine.
As shown in FIG. 2(B) of the accompanying drawings, a slide fastener chain FC to which the successive cloth pieces are sewn along the opposite fastener chain is severed transversely at longitudinally spaced positions between adjacent ends of the successive cloth pieces. Then a bottom end stop, a slider and a pair of top end stops are mounted on the chain FC, whereupon the resulting chain is fed to a discharge port 5. This guide device is located on the path of the chain FC toward the discharge port 5.
In general, the chain FC with the cloth pieces is discharged horizontally, and hence the cloth pieces sewn to the chain 1 hang down from the opposite sides of the chain 1 so that due to the weight of the cloth pieces the chain 1 would be displace laterally until they reach the discharge port. Consequently the cloth pieces attached to the chain are difficult to discharge in order.
Particularly in the case where the sewing maching M is located upstream of the discharge port 5 as shown in FIG. 2(A), precise sewing of the cloth pieces onto the chain 1 cannot be achieved due to the lateral displacement. In the case where the cutting unit C is located upstream of the discharge port 5 as shown in FIG. 2(B), precise cutting of the chain 1 cannot be achieved due to the lateral displacement.
As a result, the products can be discharged only disorderly, thus impeding the product flow to a subsequent stage of production.
A proposal has been made as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,100. According to this prior art, the discharge port is composed of a pair of vertically opposed rollers, at least one of which has on its peripheral surface an annular groove for guiding the interengaged rows of coupling elements of the chain in an attempt to prevent the chain from being laterally displaced.
However, the foregoing prior discharge devices have the following problems:
With this prior arrangement, the above-described lateral displacement cannot be eliminated perfectly so that the products can be discharged downstream of the discharge port in an orderly manner.
Further, in the case where the individual cloth piece is attached to the longitudinal edge of one of the fastener tape so as to cover the surface of the coupling element rows, the chain together with part of the cloth would be sandwiched between the discharge rollers during discharging, thus potentially preventing orderly discharge.